Prenatal Care
Prenatal Care

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1988-02-01

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0309038928

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Prenatal care programs have proven effective in improving birth outcomes and preventing low birthweight. Yet over one-fourth of all pregnant women in the United States do not begin prenatal care in the first 3 months of pregnancy, and for some groupsâ€"such as black teenagersâ€"participation in prenatal care is declining. To find out why, the authors studied 30 prenatal care programs and analyzed surveys of mothers who did not seek prenatal care. This new book reports their findings and offers specific recommendations for improving the nation's maternity system and increasing the use of prenatal care programs.

Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 2)
Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 2)

Author: Robert Black

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2016-04-11

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 1464803684

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The evaluation of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) by the Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (DCP3) focuses on maternal conditions, childhood illness, and malnutrition. Specifically, the chapters address acute illness and undernutrition in children, principally under age 5. It also covers maternal mortality, morbidity, stillbirth, and influences to pregnancy and pre-pregnancy. Volume 3 focuses on developments since the publication of DCP2 and will also include the transition to older childhood, in particular, the overlap and commonality with the child development volume. The DCP3 evaluation of these conditions produced three key findings: 1. There is significant difficulty in measuring the burden of key conditions such as unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, nonsexually transmitted infections, infertility, and violence against women. 2. Investments in the continuum of care can have significant returns for improved and equitable access, health, poverty, and health systems. 3. There is a large difference in how RMNCH conditions affect different income groups; investments in RMNCH can lessen the disparity in terms of both health and financial risk.

Communities in Action
Communities in Action

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2017-04-27

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 0309452961

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In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Barriers to Accessing Prenatal Care in Low Income Rural Women
Barriers to Accessing Prenatal Care in Low Income Rural Women

Author: Laci Ann Burk

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13:

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Barriers exist to accessing prenatal care for low income women throughout the United States, such as scheduling appointments, finding childcare, and paying for prenatal care. Women who reside in rural areas experience barriers to accessing prenatal care unique to their geographical locations. Barriers to accessing prenatal care have been associated with less than optimal health outcomes for both women and infants. The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers to accessing prenatal care that are specific to low income rural women. A qualitative approach was used by conducting telephone interviews using open ended questions with low income women from one rural county in Montana. A sample of 6 women was recruited from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutritional supplement program in a rural county. Patterns were identified from the interview responses and categorized into themes that allowed for identifying common barriers. The results from this study revealed that low income rural women reported an overall lack of providers who offered prenatal care in their area. Difficulty with scheduling transportation to and from appointments was reported in half of the women, as well as distance to the nearest hospital for 2 of the women. These same 2 women also reported that if a complication arose during pregnancy or if a woman were to have a high risk pregnancy, distance to the nearest hospital or provider would be a barrier. There was difficulty recruiting a larger sample population, therefore the sample size of 6 women was a major limiting factor of this study. Implications for practice included a need for recruitment of providers in rural areas, and the potential use of nurse practitioners for providing high-quality, low cost prenatal care for low income rural women. The implementation of group prenatal care in rural locations and investing in rural communities were also implications for future practice. Lastly, the results from this study may help with future practice and research to help focus on the needs of this unique population for gaining improved access to prenatal care.